We are LGTN
by KeyOfVoid
Summary: Humanity has always been broken. In some way or another and other more than the others. Most will deny it, some will ignore it, but you can't escape yourself. Four children of a broken world will meet and fall like lighting. Fear the thunder that follows
1. The child

_**Drop drop drop**_

 _Is it raining? Odd, the forecast said it was going to be clear today. Dear, could you go and fetch the clothes in the hanger, please?_

 _Coming! K̶̨͜e͘͜͠j̡̛ú̵͘t҉̨̢͘, can you…? Oh, asleep already? Well, that's too bad, sleepy boys don't get cookieee- Ah, there you are thunderbolt. Come on, before both the clouds and your mother really rain on us_

 _ **Bang**_

 _Was that… honey, that just now was you!?_

 _Bole, Run! Right now, run! Through the backyard. Ther-_

 _ **BANG BANG**_

 _Honey!? Ceri!? K̵̢̧͘é̀͜͝͡j̛͘u̢t҉̸́͘, listen to me, Ķ̛͢͝e̸̢j̶̨̡̕̕u̢͞t͠, I need you to go to the tool shack and hide. Here, take my knife. Be safe, I'll be right back, ok? Be safe, be safe and I love you. Now hide!_

 _ **BANG!**_

 _Clear!_

 _..._

 _Clear!_

 _..._

 _The door is blocked!_

 _ **BANG! CRACK!**_

 _Clea- Wha-!?_

 _ **Stab stab stab stab stab stab stab**_

 _Hosti-_

 _ **Fling**_

 _ **Stab**_

 _ **BANG! BANG!**_

 _Hold your fire!_

…

 _That was a nice throw, kid. In fact, they both died in an instant. Why don't you- easy, I know you are scared, but your parents are waiting outside. Come on now, they're waiting for you._

 _ **BANG!**_

Raise, get out, get down, push, get down. Repeat, repeat…

 _A beautiful discordant melody swims through the air. The players desperately try to keep with the tempo. The first song is a classic, not because is a masterpiece, but because is the song they always play at the beginning. It's familiar, but it's just warm up._

My brain then catches up with my body. Like every morning: push-ups, then abs, then bars, then squats, then breakfast, the morning routine. I finish first and go stand at the entrance of the tent besides the Captain, like usual. Ferrari finishes second, like usual. The rest of the kids stand beside their bunks not too long after. Grizzly is the last one, as usual. They stay firm like statues.

"Atteeention, firm! Salute!" The Captain yells

"One, two!" The Small Boy unit cries back with a quick gesture

"Foooorward, march!" He slips out of the tent. We march after him through the proxy base. The soldiers go around in all directions to fulfill their morning tasks, like usual. The murmur of almost hushed conversations come and go from everywhere at once.

 _A symphony of noise_

The mess hall is packed, like usual. The rations taste horrible, like usual. Rufous and Ruddy, the rowdy ones, start fighting at the far end of the table, as usual. Emmi, Eaton and Falu, the pariahs, huddle in their corner at the other end and whisper to one another, like usual. Razz and Rose, the rivals, finish choking on their food with no resulting winner, like usual. Ecru is looking at me again, in terror or fascination, maybe both, like usual.

And like usual, the main door opens and someone enters. The hall falls silent

 _A cacophony of silence_

 _The Conductor prepares for the finale of the piece. He raises his baton and in his excitement, he yells_

"Atteeention! Commander in the hall!" He yells and everybody rises

"At ease" the gruff voice of the commander calls at the other side of the doorway. He doesn't steps inside "Today is the big day. We are going to assault the enemy HQ at 1800, when the sun is against our backs. We are going to end this, we are going to make them suffer as we pierce through their measly defenses and then we are going to celebrate like victorious champions! You are all dismissed until then." The door closes and we are ready for another day in hell

 _The public roars_

Ecru is definitely scared now, but her eyes can't turn away from the smile that appeared on my face. That was the last breath of the routine until tomorrow. It has come to an end, and nobody can predict the outcome of today

 _Superb, astonishing. The Director can't help to vow before he prepares to start the last song of the evening_

Dark clouds float in the sky. My face hurts with how much my grin spreads at the rarity.

 _The drummer is new, he seems young and nexperienced, but confident. He looks excited._

"Hey, Pu-bitch!" _An old hack, a violinist, envious of the new rooster, thirsts for attention and revenge_

"Pasir, to see a dead man walking with the living is an odd sight!" I jeer at him

The older boy lifts me by the collar. The Cheshire Cat is nothing compared to my grin.

"Listen here you little dipshit. This is the last time you ever try to steal my glory, you hear me? I'm a patient man, is my job as you squad leader, so you better not try a stupid stunt like yesterday."

"You know, I think you're right. It's more fun to kill you personally" I don't think my grin could stretch further, even if I tried

He punches me, **hard**. He even broke my nose. The dam **broke** and blood spilt out. **Pff, what a riot!** My sides are aching a little with **how hard I'm laughing.** And, **oh man** , when I open my eyes and I see the look of realization, and **when he takes his hands to his throat to stop the blood gushing out. PRICELESS!**

 _The fool slipped and fell flat on his back. His replacement didn't even bother showing some kind of decency and looking apologetic. In fact, his face looks blank, a little lost even, and a ghost of the smile he had when he fell was still visible, but it had no real emotion behind it. He looks at the old violinist in the floor, but his gaze goes beyond him. He is not sure what he feels (Shame, sorrow, sadness, joy, anger?) He is not even sure if he feels something._

What's so funny? He _**died**_ _._ What's so funny about death? Why was I laughing? Was I laughing? Was I? I'm not sure, maybe. I think i was. I'm sure I was, I think. But why? Who was him again? Were… maybe he was talking to me? But, he is dead, right? He is dead and in front of me, so maybe i killed him? Yeah, that's right, I killed him. I remember, I killed him. But why?

"Attention!" A voice says to me from behind.

 _His head feels heavy, drowsy, and his eyelids are struggling to keep open. He's confused. What was he feeling? What was he doing? What was he...?_

 _What?_

 _He tries to keep his eyes open as the Director approaches_

"Commander Gears, sir!" I jump from the ground and hold perfectly firm, both hands at my sides. _You don't keep the Director waiting._

He towers over me, and the sun behind him blinds anything below his shadow. His figure consumes all light. He has eaten the sun, and all that remains is darkness.

His brown hair is held back with a bandana that covers his forehead from the sun. A tinge of something runs all over my body, sparking all my nerves.

 _When their eyes meet, he feels again. Something bubbles inside him, in his chest. He is feeling something again and he clings to it. He clings and hangs and doesn't let's go to the emotion. But it's small, and he doesn't knows what it is. Doesn't care what it is, as long as he feels. The Director sparked that emotion._

"At ease. Tell me, Jack, why did you kill him?" He barely spares a brief glance at the bleeding corpse

 _ **The fog attacks again, but the feeling doesn't disappears. It stands like a lighthouse over the mist, and he follows its red light.**_

I killed him didn't I? He is dead and in front of me, so I must have. Why did I? He said something to me, he punched me even, right? Yes, he did! **I feel it!** My nose, it hurts, **it does hurts!** So he must have punched me. **He broke my nose;** why did he? We were talking. He told me… He told me… He told me he was

"He was afraid I would steal something from him, something he called ' _glory'"_ What is glory? Does it matter? It must have, if I killed him for it…

 _ **The fog grows thick an**_ _d the red lighthouse disappears._

But, I didn't, did I? I didn't killed him for it. Because I don't have it, and neither did he. So, if you die for it or you kill for it and you still don't have it, what's the use of it. Maybe it didn't matter after all... but if doesn't matter, why did I kill him? if I killed him for something that doesn't matter, did I do it without reason?

 _Then, a blue light appears in front of him. A blue flame that floats and beckons him. He follows it._

The commander's eyes narrow, intently, deeply. He stares into my soul and the electricity intensifies

 _ **The red beam appears again, cutting through the mist and shrouding him. The haze disappears and he can see again. Everything is clear**_

I **kill** for a reason, a purpose, our goals, this army's goals. When I kill an enemy, the commander is happy and then **I'm happy.** And the more **I kill** the more **happy I am**. But when an enemy kills one of our comrades because a mistake, the commander is **angry** and then he **makes everybody angry** and he kills the prisoners. We **kill** when we are **angry** so we can be **happy** , then I must have killed him because **I was angry at him.**

Why was I angry at him? He said I tried to do something yesterday. In fact, he was supposed to be dead today. I was angry at him before. I can't remember...

He smiles and my body feels like it's overcharged with energy, like it wants to jump or run or fight or fly or something. **Does it matter? I don't think so!** **I killed him, and if I kill people, the commander is happy, and I'll have lots and lots of people to kill today.**

 **And when he is happy, so I am. That's all that matters**

"May this be lesson to all of you! There is no glory in the battlefield, only death. Make sure is not yours" He turns without waiting the answer. The static lessens, or it worsens? I feel like a battery overloading.

"Sir, yes Sir!" they answer anyways, like they should do. Nobody pays further attention to the body. A grunt will take it to the pit later, like the **rest of the idiots who get themselves killed.**

 _He hit his head hard. He is bleeding out. The new violinist swiftly hides the bloody blade. Nobody noticed what or when he did it. He doesn't care, he knows what he feels now. He feels expectation. He can't wait to start playing. He smiles again,_ _ **madly**_ _, as he takes backs his seat. He can't wait, and he only focuses on his anticipation. He stopped thinking about what he just did, about what he was thinking, about anything at all. Still…_

"I can't believe he killed Pasir"

"It was so fast I didn't see the moment he took the knife!"

"Just how strong is this guy? It was like he cut through the guy's Aura like it wasn't even there!"

"That is Setan Putih for ya…"

 _Everybody knew it was him._

 _In reality, the new drummer isn't a newcomer, just an outsider. And neither is his first time here, but he comes rarely. Still, he likes to please; he likes to do things with all his heart, no matter where he is. Says it makes him feel like it's the first time he grabs his drumsticks._

 _He brought a stronger rhythm for the occasion. Fast paced, strong, imposing. He says he picked this one for a special occasion. He raises his hand over his head and it crashes down with a resounding_

 _ **BOOM!**_

The thunder sounds far away from the battlefield. The man with the hole in his head stares into the eyes of death, **my eyes,** for a second before he crumbles motionless. "Duke, watch our backs. Navy, hand me the radio" I pick my machete from another dying man's chest. All he manages is a small groan before the light leaves his eyes. I'll make sure to remember this one for a while, he had screamed quite nicely before he tried to charge against us, blade deep in his chest and everything. Too bad he is an enemy. A determination to fight like his is rare.

 **Aaaaand… gone**

 _True to his words, he keeps a constant, quick paced tempo. The Conductor is pleased and guides the rest of the instruments_

Navy is the youngest of the squad, but he is reliable, quick, and sneaky. Scouting and communications fits him. He carried a heavy backpack for the ammunition and the long distance communicator which he hands to me. "PQ, this the Small Boy unit 1A reporting, please respond"

"This is PQ, what is your status Small Boy?" The comms officer answers

"We have reached the enemy command room. I suspect is heavily guarded. Please advice"

"Acknowledged" there is a small silence "You been giving permission to advance, thread carefully. A drone has been deployed to give you fire support. Try to herd them close to the windows"

"Roger PQ, Unit 1A out"

"Hold on, Commander Gears wishes to speak with you" The radio goes silent for a second, before the electricity hits him again, lighter but palpable. "Hello Captain, I take that your unit has served you well"

"They move with the flow like water running down a pipe, Sir. No setbacks were encountered as we advanced. Unit 3E diverged from us before, but Captain Karma made contact a short while ago. They secured the barracks and the armory. Unit 5B captured the relay transmit tower"

"And Unit 3A?"

"Suppressing the last combatants."

"Anything else?"

"No sir. We are preparing for intrusion"

"Very well, Captain. Take no hostages"

"Roger, Commander. Small boy Unit 1A, out" Navy takes back the speaker as his whiskers twitch and swiftly gives new clips for everyone.

 _The pace slows down. An harmonic tune plays_

The door is made of steel, reinforced of course. They probably made a barricade at the other side. Razz, the explosive specialist, wraps her naked tail around her and prepares the charge. Rufous picks on Duke while he waits. He of course expertly ignores him and keeps watch. Ecru is looking straight to the door with her big yellow owlish eyes which she insist with exaggerated intensity are not Faunus traits, even if the rest of the soldiers wouldn't give a damn if they were. Her diving mask, which protect her eyes from the dusty desert, rest hung on her neck. Falu preoccupies herself with checking her guns as she launches brief glances to the rest of team every few seconds.

"Charge s' ready" Razz says and goes to stand besides Rose who mutters something akin to ' _I would have done it faster'_

"I'm in control of the drone. I can see them" Navy's face turned a blue hue as the screen's light reflected on him.

"Lay suppressing fire on my mark. Falu, Duke, you enter with me. Rose, Razz, Rufous, cover our rears and pick the missing sheeps. Ecru, cover Navy and be ready for incursion. Cover us with the sniper until I call you in" Ecru grunts and grabs her weapon.

"Everybody, check your comms and take cover." I command as I take cover behind the barricade made by the enemy. I hold up my hand closed in a fist with my thumb up and Razz follows my motion with the detonator in her hand.

 _The tension raises_ _once again and nears the breaking point. Time slows for him as the adrenaline runs high. He can see everything in detail. The Conductor's wild mane as he gestures; the public, who observe like condors over rotten flesh with dead eyes; The Director,_ _ **smiling in the last row,**_ _behind everything and everyone._

"Mark!" I hold up a second and then I press my thumb against the second knuckle of my index finger.

 _ **BOOM!**_

 _The violinist's bows moves at great speed as he digits the strings_. _His melody is almost deafening, and all the other sounds dull in comparison. He is by himself under the reflector light and he forgets about anything else. It's just him and his music._

"Ashes!" Rose yells as he launches an ash grenade through the hole where the door used to be.

I jump in through the wreckage and over the low fire while the smoke covers me, shooting my rifle wildly as I search for some cover. Bullets fly from behind and in front of me. The enemy, facing heavy fire from the windows and from the entrance, must have realized how desperate their situation is.

I hide behind a charred and tumbled desk. Wood, but thick enough to make cover. The command room is big and spacious. It has a fairly high cove ceiling, but no chandeliers. It also has several rows of tables and libraries, perfect for makeshift covers. At the end of the room I can see the command table, signalized by the holographic display in it. The light entered through the high and broken windows, so it was impossible to start a blackout. Instead, the drone provided support shooting through them and then moving to the next opening before it could be shot down.

They had arranged the room so it started to close near the end, creating a funnel chokehold with bookcases and tables. The room was heavily guarded, as I expected, and even had a mounted turret guarding the end. However, their attention was divided, now that they had two fronts to take care of.

As planned, Rufous fans the smoke with his wind blower. The smoke disperses inside, providing us sight cover against the enemy.

"In position!" three yells from behind. Rose, Razz and Rufous are in place and covering us.

"Advance!" I jump over my cover and start shooting my weapon. With precision, the enemies fall as my scope focuses on them. Left and right, enemies with weak or even no Aura at all fall as we advance.

 **Die you little shits!**

Suddenly, a whirring noise comes from ahead "It's raining hell!" Razz yells before the turret starts shooting death. I cover behind a bookcase, but holes start sprouting out of it as the bullets drill through it.

"Shit!" I jump down behind another table while torn pieces of paper float in the air.

 **You piece of crap!**

 _ **BANG! BANG!**_

Precision bullets fly from the hole. "The guy is like a tank! The bullets can't even get close to his face- Shit!" Ecru swears as the turret focuses on her.

 **Motherfuck!**

 _The flute falls silent_

"Rose, make them cry!" I command to the grenadier.

"Suck it!" He yells as he throws whatever explosive he is carrying at the moment. Ice, wind and fire spam at short bursts, and the enemies fly through the air.

I peek over the cover. Four, five, seven, nine, nine! Nine more **pigs to kill**

"Navy! Shoot at discretion, wear them down!"

"On it- Fuck! Enemy reinforcements on my side. Ecru is down!"

 **Fuck!**

"Fuck this! Rufous, give me The Beat!"

 **Fuck them!**

He throws me a vial full of dark purple Dust in a wide arc. I insert it in the handle of my machete and it starts to glow and emit a low hum. "Cover me!" I cut down the table were I was hiding like it's hot butter and run forward to the fray with a handgun in one hand and the blade in the other.

 **It's time for your to die!**

 _ **BANG!**_

I weave and dance around the bullets while I respond with my own. The closest ones draw their own blades as well once they realize they won't be able to hit me. The first one tries to chop me down, **so I chop up his arm. Blood splatters over my head as I cut another bit of his body, and another, and another before I** use his body like a shield against the incoming fire.

Falu and Rufous use the chance to kill the shooters. Razz throws a light bomb and I drop the bullet-ridden corpse using the distraction.

The second one parries my first attack with his sword covered in yellow Aura and parries two other strikes before he counters. I dance around his arm and I **stab him in his throat, bathing my shoulder in blood**.

I scale over the the bookcase, quickly jump over to another, and immediately jumping again. I run over the gaps while I shoot the surprised faces of the soldiers below. Suddenly, a table flies and a I only manage to preserve my head attached to my neck by ducking just before it hits me. It was the man behind the turret, flinging at me anything he could get his hands on, and all the projectiles carried enormous force. If any of those hits me, I'll become another smudge of blood in the wall.

Suddenly, raining bullets distract the juggernaut. The drone is shooting from outside the window, and just time too. I lunge at him as he throws a chair like a giant bullet at drone, taking it down. His Aura is really thick, and my attack only skims his chest with the tip, not enough to even **scratch him**. He seems surprised, and turns to me with a special glint in his eye. Expectantly, I wait while he grabs a metal bat not too far away that seems to small in his hands. It glows brown as he extends his Aura to his weapon.

"Setan, what are you doing!? Shoot him already" says someone in the comms, don't care who. **He wants a duel, I'll give him one.**

We rush at each other and our weapons clash, sparks flying. His defence is steady, like brick tower, as I try to **maim him** from different angles and get behind his back. Meanwhile, he tries to take my head of my shoulders with quick swings and I'm forced to evade his attacks. With no Aura, I would break my arms even trying to parry him.

I spin and swing low. He goes to counter me and I grin as I jump over his head. He moves his head at the last second, but I still leave a small gash in his shoulder that his Aura rushes to fix and someone screams in terror, but he isn't the one screaming. A kid, no older than six, runs wide eyed back to the room at the back where he was hiding and shuts the door. The man looks horrified. **I have a pretty good idea why**

He reacts a second to late and I cut his side. He tries to bash me, but I'm already left a cut at his other side. It keeps like this, him only following my movements one step behind while I attack him with enough force to slash through his quickly draining Aura. He bashes, I dodge and counter with horizontal slash. He kicks and I'm behind him cutting upwards. And finally, his brown Aura flashes and wavers as it reaches its limit. **Your time has come.**

I run away towards the door where the kid was hiding. "NO!" He yells before throwing his bat spinning. It goes straight to me, and if it hits, I'm pretty sure m **y body would explode guts and gore!**

 **Sucker.**

I turn and cut the bat through the middle like it's made of paper, the two halves flying harmlessly behind me. The cratered walls where the metal slices ended lodged would beg to differ about the material of the projectiles.

He rushes with **open arms to embrace death.** I swing to cut his neck and he _catches_ the blade with his left forearm. He rips his bloody arm away with the blade lodged in it as his Aura breaks like glass and he punches me with his right fist empowered with lasts bits of his Aura with an powerful uppercut to my chest.

The crack of my bones is audible.

It hurts! My stomach and my lungs feel on fire and pain sparks every nerve in my body and it hurts. I heave and I cough as my lungs tries to fill up with air but it's so hard to breath with how mu **ch I'm laughing! Ha, he got me good! I can even feel the blood in my mouth. He must have broken a lot of ribs there. Heck, maybe my whole chest turned to dust! He sure can pack a punch, but I'm the one with the** _ **punchline.**_

 _ **BANG!**_

 **Hahahaha, sure you weren't expecting that one did ya?! What's that,** _ **fear?**_ Are you scared now? Come **ON! Is a gun really that scary!? I was just a little tiny bullet to your arm. Don't start being a fucking disappointment. Show me anger, pain, not some fucking** _ **FEAR!**_

 _ **BANG!**_

 **Come on! What are you so fucking afraid of? It hurts to even breath so why the fuck aren't you fighting!? Answer me! Don't fucking make me waste my time on you!**

 _ **BANG!**_

A bullet just beside his head

 _ **Answer.**_

 _ **BANG!**_

It nicks his ear

 _ **Me.**_

 _ **BANG, BANG, BANG!**_

 _ **Each one punctures his bones of his leg**_

 _ **DAMMIT!**_

"Come on, dammit! Tell me already" **I yell as I kick him in his stupid fearful face that won't EVEN FUCKING LOOK AT ME WHEN I TALK TO HIM! WHAT IS HE EVEN-?** Oh.

 **OOOOH**

"So, what's up with the kid? Some little shit too weak to even hold a rifle? Come on, why are you so scared for him?" He still **refuses TO EVEN LOOK AT ME IN THE EYES DAMMIT! Where did all that might go?**

Change of tactics. I grab the blade and I drag it **very slowly** up his arm. "Just tell me already," I **chop down** his forearm by the place the blade was stuck before. Not deep enough to completely separate the arm from the rest of his body, but deep enough to touch the bone and all **of those delightfully sensible nerves.** **Sadly,** He bites down the scream of **pain** "Just tell me, and I'll make the pain stop. Wouldn't you like that?" I whisper with a sweet voice like molasses. I slam down my foot in his **maimed arm** before I start dragging the blade up the other. "Please, just talk to me. Can you talk for me?" I raise the blade over my head "Can you _die,_ for me?" and I chop down his other arm up to his shoulder. He's crying now. He's **fucking crying like a little cowardly shit!**

"Boring," I sing "I was going to kill you all anyways, I just wanted to satisfy my curiosity. Was that SO FUCKING HARD!?" I kick him, I stomp him, I stab him, I slice him, methodically, calculated so he won't bleed out just yet and he still won't **scream!**

 _The song had long ended. Just now he realized he had stop playing. He was once again in the stage. It was over, the only thing left was the Director's speech._

"Hey, are you done there!?" I yell to the comms without taking my eyes off the **whiny shit**.

"Yes we are, Setan, you don't have to shout," Duke yells somewhere to my right.

"There's a kid behind that door. Bring it here."

The kid resists and struggles but he falls limp when he sees the juggernaut maimed and beaten. Then, he bawls his eyes out while he screams and tries to escape Rufous grip. The kid stomps his captors' feet and runs _towards_ the defeated man before Rufous grabs him again and puts a gun to the back of his head. Even then, he doesn't stops crying.

What the hell?

"Hey… Hey! Kid, shut up! Stop crying. Stop, what the hell is your problem!? I said shut the fuck up!" I slap him across the face. Even with the face with a red mark, he cries.

 **What the hell is wrong with him!?**

Still, the man is anxious and just won't stop looking at the kid, but still says nothing.

Oh, whatever.

"NO!" The man **finally** yells when the blade is an inch away from the kid's neck. And look, **he finally shut up. I must have scared him into silence.**

"So, what's so special about this little shit. Is he really good so you want to keep him alive, or really bad so you feel pity or something? Come on now, tell me, because I won't stop myself next time" My fingers twitch with impatience.

"He-... He's my son. I beg you, spare him. Just let him go and kill me." So the kid is his _son…_

 _._

 _._

 _._

"What the hell is a _son?"_ I ask him

"What?" He's staring at me with a stupid looking face. I kick it.

"What the hell is a _son_?"

"What do you mean!?" He coughs out and spits some blood.

"You little- god dammit. Ecru, what does it mean _son_? Is it what, like a rank?"

"Ecru is out. She was shot and Rufous had to take her away." Navy answers over the comms

"What, when?"

"I-... never mind. She's being treated right now, probably."

"Does anybody here knows what _son_ means?"

"We are wasting our time, Setan." Razz **whines like a little shit.**

"This could be useful information, shithead." What could be so powerful, so meaningful that you would take so many risks for it? Is this kid his goal? Maybe his purpose? How is a kid a purpose?

"How, exactly?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out dammit"

"Let's just ask Commander and get this over with!"

"We can't call the Commander just to know the meaning of a word"

"You don't… You don't know what is the meaning of son?" He seems pretty out of it. Looks like he is bleeding out.

"He is my son, my child, my blood and the person I care the most about." His gaze is unfocused, and his head turns to the kid, ignoring everything else "I cherish you and I love you and I'll will always love. I'll love you to infinity and beyond."

They are both crying again. A grown adult, crying like a three-year-old over an actual three-year-old kid. Just... what the hell…? He loves him? What is-

 _Be safe and I love you._

The world suddenly turns upside down.

 _What is-_

There is an incessant ring on my ears

 _What the hell?_

My vision blurs, the colors blending together.

 _Just…_

Someone screams I think.

 _He loves him?_

My head h **u** **Rt** S **LI** K **E** **H̛͟** **E̡̛͞** **L̢̨̢̡͡** **Ĺ̢̕͏** **!**

I'm falling

Or at least, I think so.

I'm not touching the ground, I can't feel it. But neither I can't feel the air passing through my hair, so I'm not sure if I'm really falling.

But I can feel other things. There is a weight on my belly, above my navel, and it goes around my torso. There are also weights over my arms. My legs are free, but I'm not sure if moving them would help.

My eyes are open, but I can only see darkness. I don't like it.

I'm also being strangled. I can feel hands on my neck, stopping me from breathing, but I'm not sure why would I need to breathe. Oh right, I need to breathe to live. Are they trying to kill me?

Why are they choking me? We would strangle each other during **training, and I would close my hands around their windpipes until they turned blue and their eyes went white.**

I think I liked to do that. But, I'm not so sure. Afterwards, when we stopped, they would still wince and cough when they moved their necks, so I felt bad for them. But if it was an enemy, then I felt worse **because I had crushed his neck like a twig.** I think I cried after that, but then the _**Commander**_ would pat me in the back, telling me I did a good job then taking me to… where did he take me too?

I can't remember

 **Is not important**

I only remember the important things, I think.

I'm also being strangled. If they keep going, they could hurt me, and then they would kill me. I don't want to die. If I die, then I can't move, and I'll only stare without seeing forever. Dying seems scary. **All of them seemed pretty scared about dying.** So it must be bad and scary.

I can't breathe. _I'm dying, and I don't want to die!_

 **Shit, shut up!**

 _Who are you!?_

Now I can see him, he looks familiar. He looks like myself, I think, but I don't remember how I look. Still, there is something that tells me he looks like me, but there is something very wrong with him.

 **I said shut it!**

 _Why are you doing this?_

 _ **He is waking up, even after everything that's happened, now of all times, he wakes up. He can't be awake. I need to make him go back to sleep, but if keeps resisting I'll kill him without a doubt.**_

 **SHUT UP!**

 _GET OFF!_

I kick him first in the back, twice in the back forcing him to stand up slightly. Still, it gives me enough space to kneel him and the kick him away.

 _Leave me alone!_

 **You little- I'll kill you!**

 _ **He can't do this to me! I am the real one, I am the one alive. He needs to go back to sleep, or else I kill him. I won't let him do this to me.**_

 _Go away! I hate you!_

 **Pathetic, I'm going to bury you ten feet down!**

He jumps at my neck again, but I stop him with my feet and I push him away again. I stand up a place my arms besides my head and my torso in a defensive position. He stands on four limbs and has a feral snarl on his face.

His eyes shine red

 _ **His eyes shine blue**_

 _ **I run at him with my arms wide and swipe with my claws towards his head, but he crouches at the last moment and hits me in the back of my head and it hurts! It hurts a fucking lot!**_

 _ **CRASH!**_

Glass breaking sounds the moment my fist connects and he cries in pain, protecting the sore area as turns away and puts some distance between us.

 _Why are you doing this?_

 **I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you!**

There is only murder in those red eyes.

He runs at me again, but this time his movements are more controlled, but not less deadly. He swipes at my head and at my arms with open hands while I dodge and parry. He thrust forward his hand towards my head and I dodge to the side while I punch him below the ribs.

 _ **CRASH!**_

Glass sounds again, but instead of retreating he spins on his heel and elbows me in the jaw.

 _ **CRASH!**_

 _ **There is only fear in those blue eyes.**_

I jump away before he can swipe at my neck. It hurts! It hurts a lot! I take my hands to my jaw to nurse the injury, but I pale when I notice my jaw _isn't there._ I can only feel a jagged hole in the place where my lower mouth used to be. Realizing something, I focus on him again and I notice there is a hole where my fist had stroke earlier.

 _ **He rushes at me and tries to punch me in the head. I grab his fist and then I grab the other when he tries to retaliate. I grin at him, sadistically, and then I kick him in the knee with enough force to bend it until it breaks.**_

 _ **CRASH!**_

 _ **Even though his leg up to the knee is gone he still stands, as if a phantom limb supported him, and jumps away, but I don't let up my assault, I swipe and strike as I try to get a hold of thE LITTLE COWARDLY BASTARD who insist on avoiding my attacks directly while trying to counter. I madly rush at him trying to at least get a shot on his eyes or anything that would leave him to my mercy, when he grabs ahold of my extended arm, backhands me in the ear with the other, and suddenly I'm not standing anymore. I hit the not-ground, and he twists my arm until it breaks**_

 _ **CRASH!**_

I punch.

 _ **I claw.**_

 _ **CRASH!**_

I dodge.

 _ **I grab.**_

 _ **CRASH!**_

I counter.

 _ **I kick.**_

 _ **CRASH!**_

 _And glass fa_ _ **lls around me.**_

I _**pant,**_ as I _**jump away**_ from him. He's _**tired, maybe as**_ much as I am. _**He's missing his legs.**_ He is missing his arms. _**His torso is falling down.**_ His face is caving in itself. _**He refuses to lay down and die.**_ He won't let me disable him, he won't leave me alone.

 _ **He still stands**_

He still fights.

 _ **I'll kill him, then I'll finally live as myself.**_

I don't want to die, but I kill him if I have to.

We rush at each other, as we try to finish the other. We attack, we defend, we try to survive because we know that one of us has to die.

 _ **I swipe at him, leaving a diagonal hole from his shoulder to his hip.**_

I kick him high in the head, making another hole. Only his eye remains.

 _ **I jump at him and kneel him in the nose. No blood pours out, but it breaks nonetheless**_

I punch below ribs and follow up on his armpit.

 _ **I try to ax him with the heel, but he dodges to the side.**_

I try to delivery a haymaker, but he grabs it with ease.

And then...

I headbutt him in what remains of his face and he falls back. Not letting up, I let a flurry of punches rain down on whatever is left of him. I grab him by the neck and I press with all my strength, and he still tries to rip my arms with his fingernails.

 _ **CRASH!**_

His neck gives in, and all of what remained of his body breaks down. The dark world turns white and glass rains around me, but I'm not affected at all. I won, so I'll get to live.

The glass rains around me.

And then the lighting stroke.

 _ **BOOM!**_

My neck is sore.

So is the rest of my body, but my neck hurts a lot worse.

I'm on something soft but wet. It's sticky and smells like humidity. Mud? It smells burnt and charred.

Opening my eyes is really hard. My eyelids feel like they weight a ton.

There are noises, but I can't tell what they are. They blend and mesh with each other, and I can't focus on a single one.

My heart feels hot. Really hot. I feel like my chest is burning from the inside out.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabs me and pulls me and carefully hangs me by my torso around their neck, like a scarf.

The world stops spinning and with a great deal of effort, I open my eyes.

It's nighttime. A rainstorm bears down on my back. I'm being carried around someone's neck. Her head is covered by a balaclava.

Immediately I turn away trying to take as much of my surroundings. There a few low buildings I can scale and many alleys to escape through. I'm disarmed, so I need to get her weapon when she's distracted, then I'll…

Why…

Why would I need to that?

Why would I need a weapon? I'm not a soldier, I'm…

I'm…

"W-wh…?"

"Shit, he's awake!" She yells "Get me the sedative!"

 _Get me the sedative._

 _I'll make you strong, Jack._

No.

"Let me go!" I scream as I struggle against her, but her grip on my wrists and ankles is powerful.

"Shhh, easy, kid, is okay now. You're safe" A man says from behind me

 _You're safe now, Jack. You'll have nothing to fear from now on._

 _You'll have to hurt them before they hurt you. I gifting you the power to hurt._

No!

As I close my eyes in fear I feel something spark from inside me, something new altogether, and suddenly I'm unbound and in the air.

 _ **THUD**_

I crash back in the earth. When I open my eyes again, the soldiers, four of them, all with their heads covered, are some five or six meters away from me, and they look at me with trepidation. A fifth one is on the ground, his clothes charred and smoking.

"He teleported? Is that his Semblance?" Another man says

"Sonova, he shocked me! Did he cause that lightning? He's dangerous! Owl, do it!"

"On it!" the first man says as he raises his hand. I'm won't stay to see what he's doing, so I run to the side and towards an alley.

"Shit, secure him!" I hear the footsteps behind me, two sets of them. They're re trying to surround me. I turn sideways, further immersing myself in the maze of alleys. I can hear their footsteps, wet and heavy.

A hand grabs me on the shoulder. My eyes widen when I turn to the side. The woman came from a side alley and her other hand had a gun. An DG-008, 6mm tranquilizer rounds, 5 shots magazine, silencer and holo-sights attached. Why do I know that?

The spark comes again and suddenly she is far away and grasping air. However, she reacts quickly and aims her gun at me.

 _If they see you, you'll die._

 _Kill them before they do._

 _ **NO! I just want to be left alone!**_

 _ **So leave me ALONE!**_

My vision turns red and the spark that surfaces is different. It burns me from the inside out, but I grab it and I make it spread through the ground until it reaches her feet, burning her as well.

"Gagh!" she cried in pain as her muscles shock with red tinted lightning. The gun fell from spasming hand before she fell to her knees screaming in pure agony **and-!**

 **NO!**

The other spark disappeared, but the pain lingers, for the both of us. Even still, I stand while she grasps for air. She's hurt, badly. I harmed her.

"S-sorry" I whisper. I don't understand why it was so easy for me to hurt her, but I regret it. So I whisper an apology before turning tail. I will not be controlled again!

…

But, was I controlled before? I… can't remember… Just what… wh-when…

Who… who am I?

"Gotcha!"

As I turn a corner, one of them cuts my path and places his hand on my forehead before I can get away and everything goes black.

Who am I?

I'm me, right?

 **I'** _m_ _ **M**_ e, **R** _ **iG**_ **H** t?

My name…

My name is...

 _ **Drip drop drop**_


	2. The machine

_**? - ?**_

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

… **Initializing**

 **Aura link activated**

 **Neuro-AI processors** **running at full capacities**

"Hey Fido, how do you feel?"

A voice was picked up by my sound sensors. **Voice recognized: Samuel acknowledged**

"Sam?"

 **Visual system is online...*WARNING* several unknown gears was detected during the system's launch**

My photo sensor activated and I saw Sam's face in front of mine

"Well, it's good to see you awake" He said

"Greetings Sam" I said to the man standing in front of me. But something was _different_

"Well, I guess you remember our last conversation yes?" Sam walked to a computer sitting on a table at the end of the room while he mutters something unintelligible under his breath

 **Running a full-body scan… *WARNING* new features were detected during the scan; new configurations were detected during scan**

 **HUD system is online… *WARNING* new gadgets were detected during the initialization of the 'HUD' system**

 **Voice box is online. *WARNING* a new configuration has been established to default**

 **Full connection between 'The Body' and 'The Aura' has been established**

 **Restoring Long-Term and Short-Term memory link**

 **Running face scan. Target acquired: Samuel Sangre Tizona. Checking Long-Term memory for information on target… Data retrieved.**

 _ **Samuel: Engineer and programmer collaborating with Dr. Regierung sapparat Voigt in order to build me and my neuro-AI. Over the years, Sam took the role to teach me human culture, language, and fighting techniques**_

 **Calibrations completed**

 **External sensors are fully operative. *WARNING* new features were detected during the launch**

 **All systems online. New systems will be explained with a tutorial**

"I do remember. I was going to be left offline for four months before running a final test" Suddenly, my voice box starts to sound how it was supposed to. _**A comparison with a test recording of the voice box showed a distinct difference with the new configuration.**_ _It sounded human_

"Well, time is over. This is the moment you leave the nest" He kept talking as he wrote in the computer

"My internal clock indicates I was not supposed to spread wings until next month"

"HA! Yes you were, but… a situation came up. Still is good to see your sense of humor is functional"

 _It is something that can be broken?_ "Where is Dr. Voigt?" my motion sensor indicated only one person in the room and the adjacent levels

"The Doktor…" Sam paused. He stopped writing"Is no longer with us; he had to go somewhere else. But, before leaving he told me to make a gift for you" he finished and pushed the enter key with some force, to add 'drama' as he usually does "Uploading, check the files I'm sending you"

The files showed me some of my blueprints but I had some inconsistencies. It also showed **[image blocked]**

"Sam, what is all this?" I ask

"I told you, it's a gift." He said

Sam pushed some buttons at my side and I was released from the maintenance pod. I fell down on my legs with a sound *CLANK*

"Sam, what is the objective of this," I asked

"It's time for you to join the pack," He said cryptically. I knew he would not say any more

"I feel curiosity" I moved to the computer and interacted it with my multi-purpose tail "It is a reason this appendage was added?" I said referring to **[blocked]**

Sam's cheeks had the most subtle, almost invisible blush on his cheeks and coughed a bit "I added it so you won't blow your cover in case a situation happens" Not invisible to my augmented optic receptors

"State an example"

"Dammit mutt, don't go around making it awkward," he says with a slight chuckle but it quickly dies down

"Listen, some guys are waiting outside and it's the best you don't meet them. They are… uh dangerous people and they'll want you in a box, probably" he walks past the maintenance pod behind me and pushes a button, revealing a trap door beside the pod

"I uploaded maps and information from all around the world. Trust me, you won't get lost anytime soon"

He walks to a nearby closet and takes something out of it. It's my weapon, a high-frequency chainsaw compatible with Dust; but something is different, it's wider and slightly heavier "You will need this to survive the 'cruel land' in the outside. I left a second gift inside but it will unlock in a couple of days"

The HF chainsaw is a large and the rotating mechanism was modified to allow the chainsaw's teeth to vibrate fast enough to cut through almost all materials. It was easy for me to operate it with my tail. However, the handle had been modified. It allowed **[Redacted].** I attached the weapon in its mount on my lower back

"Now I have something to cover you up." He takes out a pile of clothes "It is frowned up in society to walk around like that"

If I had eyes, I could have given him a proper glare. Instead, I stare at him intently. He doesn't seem to notice "Do not treat me like a fool, Sam".

From the same closet, he grabs a backpack and hands it over to me

"You'll find everything you need inside" he kneels and puts a hand on my shoulder

"The tests are over, now it's time you get your freedom." He smiles

 _Freedom?_

"What do you mean by, 'get my freedom'?"

I am free, am I not? I am free to walk around through the building and the surrounding Jungle. I am free to "read" any digital media in the facility. I am free to make inquiries about any subject. Is it that not _freedom?_

There are no apparent changes in his face

"I think that you are soon to find out. You are one of a kind, mutt, don't you ever forget that. You are a damn robot with a soul, with an Aura of your own. If I get to see something like you someday, well, I'll eat my boot for dinner"

Suddenly alarms start blaring in the room and Sam walks back to the computer

"Heh if it took them this long to just open the door then you won't have any trouble getting away"

"Why aren't you following me?" I knew he was going to stay, every statement and action he did to this moment indicated so. But _why_?

"Eh, maybe I'm just feeling for a little _chit-chat_ " he grabs his sheathed sword _Murasama_ from the table beside the computer "From this moment and forward, this is your journey" he pushes the tip of the sheath in my forehead. It is time to leave

"Now make me and the Doktor proud, "He said with a mocking tone, "don't throw to waste all the time we spent rebuilding you"

 _Rebuilding!?_ Before I could say anything Sam kicked me through the trap door

I fell through the secret duct.

 **Information: The Laboratory is ten stories large, the maintenance room in the ninth floor**

 **ETA: 96,547545 seconds**

That is one and a half minutes, more than enough time to analyze Sam's final words

 **Information: He stated 'rebuild' instead of 'build'. For the past three years, I have been programmed and constructed by Sam and Dr. Voigt.**

It could not be a slip of tongue. Phonetically, the difference between the two words is moderately apart. Sam did not stutter, he intended to pronounce the word

 _Rebuild: [ree-bild] To build again_

The word resonated like knocking a hollow box in my thoughts

It is odd, to think I was something before I was born.

My chassis graced the tunnel and the friction caused sparks. I re-accommodated accordingly

 **Information: There is no memory in my databanks from before our first meeting. The first time I was activated was in the server room on the tenth building**

* * *

 _ **Reproduce: V-0000000001**_

… **Initializing**

 **Aura link activated**

 **Neuro-AI** **running at full capacities**

…

…

…

 _Hello?_

… _Hello_

 _Do you understand me?_

… _Yes._

… _Who are you?_

 _Command: Run subroutine BV8_

… _Command Acknowledged_

… _No available data bank entry._

 _Command: Run subroutine AV11_

… _Command Acknowledged_

… _This conversation is being recorded_

 _Please, tell me your name_

… _I don't have one. Can you tell me yours?_

 _I_

 _y j hujb_

 _My name is Sam. Docktor here is now on the dunce corner for not sharing_

… _Hello, Sam. Who are you?_

 _Well, since you asked… Me and the Docktor are your creators. We made you and today is your birthday._

 _Do you know who you are?_

… _I do not_

… _If you are my creator, you must have a name for me. Please, input my name_

 _mnnbghni_

 _Pardon my associated, he hasn't had enough sleep to remember manners. Well, to be fair, neither have I._

 _I am Dr. Regierung sapparat Voigt, or as my "partner" here has said, the "Docktor". Yes indeed, we are your creators._

 _Your name is Proto-InterFace LQ-84i. Welcome to your life_

 _msdrhy_

 _Scratch that, your name is Blade Wolf_

 _mstopfssathissgfdsg_

… _Proto-InterFace LQ-84i and Blade Wolf. These are my names. Thank you for giving it to me_

 _Nah, mutt. Thank you for working_

 _Command: Run routine Y9_

… _Command Acknowledged_

… _Starting Rest mode_

* * *

 **Conclusion: I was misled to believe that Sam and Dr. Voigt were my builders**

 **Query: Who are my real makers?**

 **Information: Information required**

 **Conclusion: Inconclusive**

 **ETA: 13,4625 seconds**

I redirected myself for the impact.

I hit the ground. My feet ended buried down, indicating soil and dirt

I opened the bag. Inside there were clothes, repair tools, and books.

When I tried to run my new subroutine, a message appeared

 _Not just now, you horny dog. You can take a look at yourself in 548 min_

Later it would be then. I closed the bag and approached the metal door in front of me. My tail interacted with the digital lock and a message box appeared.

Sam had not changed the password since the last time. The door opened and I faced the jungle surrounding the building. It was night time and the broken moon loomed above

 _ **ALERT: Enemies in the surroundings**_

 **Activating AR vision**

My face was covered with two black metal plates and the world changed, acquiring a blue hue. I could see several people through the jungle, their figures highlighted in red. A yellow marker appeared in the distance

 **Objective: flee from the forest and reach Vale**

 **Inference: Sam programmed several objectives to aid my escape**

Most of the enemies were walking towards the front entrance of the building. However a good amount of them were patrolling the jungle. The map provided by Sam had several markers highlighting escape routes

 **Tracing the most optimal course**

… **Traced**

With my backpack strapped to me and my weapon mounted on my back, I moved through. The flora provided a great cover when hiding from the pursuers and the scarce wildlife ignored me.

54 meters ahead in my escape, an armed person blocked the path and others guarded the closest alternative routs. Several options ran through in front of me in a matter of picoseconds while I thought for a way to advance

I grabbed three small pebbles from the ground and I hurled them to the nearest guards with my tail. The projectiles flew with an immense speed. The guards fell with dull *THUDS* as if their Auras were not even there.

I approached one. **Incapacitated, no lasting damage to be found.** I kept moving ahead.

Suddenly, a gunshot shattered the silence

 **Origin: 20 meters, southwest. Destiny: unknown**

After that several screams and more gunshots were heard and all the remain patrols ran towards the origin of the shots. A new enemy has been highlighted in my vision. A large, black creature is running rampant through the soldiers

 **Information: The Facilities are sheltered with electrical fences to stop the Grimm**

Not failsafe, a big pack of beowolfs could power through. Thankfully, the surrounding area itself has a low density of Grimm due to being an isolated compound

 **Inference: Sam started a distraction. He must have disabled the fence to let through the Grimm**

The distraction made an opening to the nearest escape route. Running, i could easily reach and maintain 350 km/h

As I was reaching the end, a dark feeling gripped my soul, crawling with pure murderous intent. A shrill cry sounded behind me and i dodged as a gryphon attacked the ground I left behind. The noise would attract more enemies to me. This had to end quickly

 **Commencing Grimm battle subroutine**

 **Grimm type: Gryphon, heavy armored**

Once again, a varied number of pre-programmed strategies run in front of my eyes

 **Strategy: Hurl objects to incapacitate and flee**

My weapon was too loud and would likely attract even more enemies. With my tail, I grabbed a nearby sturdy-looking branch and i launch it with the force of a rocket. It pierces the winged beast's neck. Grimm biology will occasionally resemble other animals biology. While there is not enough damage done to kill it, with it's neck punctured the monster is incapable of screaming. In quick succession, I hurl a rock and another branch. The grimm see the projectiles this time and protects itself with its powerful wings. What it doesn't realizes fast enough, is that, while protecting itself with its steel-like feathers, it can't see me hurling a third rock to the joint of his wings. The pain makes his legs buckle, but is still standing. The same cannot be said about its wing, which now lays useless to its side

 **ENEMY APPROACHING**

 **ARMED ENEMY APPROACHING FROM THE LEFT**

The small-ranged motion sensor flares to life. _Crap,_ Sam would say

With a single jump I managed to give myself a small head start. Up ahead lies the escape route, a small river, barely more than a big creek, which would lead me to the nearest village. From my position, I can see a hole 10 meters up in the face. The distance to the marker falls, it shortens, like the countdown to the moment of my freedom

 _Freedom_

For a reason, this time the words has a small ring with it. I cannot explain what is this that I feel when i think of the word. This is not the first time I feel something similar. A flash of memory, one that leaves as quick as it came.

I don't notice at first, but I'm running faster, faster to reach this _ambition,_ faster to get away from my pursuers, faster that it should be possible

Something builds inside myself, in my aura, empowering me.

 **35 meters**

 **12 meters**

 **7 meters**

At the last moment, I prepare for the jump to pass through and escape. The feeling inside threatens to explode, a dam waiting to break.

Suddenly it happens, but it's not my legs leaving the ground, it's not building in my soul that breaks. Instead, my Neural processor is overloaded with electricity

 _ **A/-/ERT -D-/-AM-GE SYS- F/**-/\\\||||||/**_

Darkness

* * *

Sam

He lays down on the ground, rotten. A shadowed figure feast on his remains. With each piece of flesh it takes, it grows bigger and takes a shape.

A gryphon stands at the top of the building and gives a deafening cry. The forest burns and all life is extinguished.

The beast suddenly launches towards me and swallows me. I remain unfazed in the darkness

I should commend the programmer, this _is_ an impressive simulation made in a really short time. Sadly _for them_ it is insignificant in comparison to the others

 **VR MISSION COMPLETE. ENDING SIMULATION**

 _Darkness once again_

"You stupid piece of shit!"

The darkness has not receded, simply because I wish it not to. My captor is having another fit while I keep my " _eyes"_ shut.

"Sir, please. We made a good length of progress this time" A meek voice tries to placate the enraged man.

"Now, now _Mr. A_ ," a sultry female voice says "we are only on day 8. He will break, eventually, you just need to have more patience." An unusual clicking sound rings along her voice

"Or," another male, full of malice "I could just break him down to scrapes and take whatever is still useful"

"No. That right belongs to me." the first voice is closer to my pod now "I won't give one shit how valuable you are, my time has been wasted enough."

I remain silent while the steps get further away and the heavy armored door closes

"Hmph. I wonder, how long are you going to last?" The female is walking towards me now "how many times are you going to see him die in vain?" The silence is only interrupted by the rhythmic clicking sound. Perhaps she is waiting for some sort of reaction.

 _Clearly, she has never interrogated a machine before_

"That samurai nerd was better than we expected, I should give him that at least" The footsteps and the clicks get further away and the door opens "The boss is getting impatient. I would advise you to concoct something strong enough to break down or he will break you" the door closes and the clicking stops. Two relieved sighs sound from not very afar. I almost feel sorry for the two scientist who made the simulations and their vain attempts to torture me.

"Holy… so, what do you want to do now?" meek voice asks his partner "Shit, what am I supposed to know!? If he would only give something like a grunt, then we could work on that"

"Let's try shocking him a little bit?" meek asks, meekly.

"No, just-" "Kick him in the balls?" "What, n-" "Take him to the gallows?" "No! Stop! Just, stop, ok? The first idea would work on a person, but we can't risk to fry his brain now"

A silence "Kick-" "That, is just stupid and wouldn't work on him in the first place!" "How do you know? We haven't tried yet!" a sputter, followed by sigh.

"We just need some coffee" A chair shove, the door opening and, finally, the sound of typing on a keyboard as meek tries to design a new simulation hoping it will be enough to, well, even I don't know what are they trying to accomplish.

He mumbles, thinking I can't hear him "Stupid, insensible, insentient, in...emotive? Maybe I do need some coffee…" He shuts again as he types.

 _Unemotive, huh_

Emotion is the only thing I'm not lacking in my imprisonment. I feel frustration, flooding sadness, burning rage. For three weeks they have imprisoned me, making me relive my last memories since my reactivation, uncovering a little more of encrypted and blocked information with each simulation. Today's simulation was rushed, like they were just trying to pass the weekly inspection. His boss, Mr.A, will come around five in the afternoon to revise the progress, why he does this remains as a query, but he was scheduled earlier today as its appears.

Following the same routine, I activate my optical receptors looking for the most insignificant detail, a slight variation in the room or anything that would help me escape. Something weighs me down when I stop, the last emotion that has been haunting me.

 _Helplessness_

The typing continues. Meek sits in front of a long panel table, long enough to fit four people. Behind is the reinforced gate. From the ceiling falls a mechanical arm that holds me in the air. The walls seem to be reinforced with the same alloy the door is made of. Other than that, there is nothing in the room.

 _Patience, mutt, patience and a quick drawn are two weapons a warrior can rely on_

"Yes!"

 _Wait, no!_

"How you like that, you metallic freak!?"

A memory, he managed to discover one of my memories before my reactivation. A bittersweet situation, Dr. Voigt would say. Sam's words were just what I needed to remember, but this means they are digging further down in the layers of codes he left to protect… that what needed to be protected in my memories.

 _A wall, unlike a chain, doesn't need all the bricks to be effective. However, take one too many from its foundation, and it will fall on itself._

 _Anxiety_

 _Not now._ _I just need to this-_

 _*KRA-BOOOM*_

The explosion rattles the building with enough force to knock Meek of his feet. The explosion came from approximately 6 stories down. The alarms are blaring now.

"Oh, shit" Meek runs to the table and grabs a small device "Shit, hello?" He tries a few times, but it's met with silence every time. He is trembling now, looking to the door and back to the panel every few seconds. Then, he turns to look at me. He writes something in the panel and the mechanical hand drops me.

My systems need another second to boot, and he is standing right _besides_ me. "Ah, you know I was just messing around with the 'freak' thing, right? Good, this guys will want us dead, so you know, ki-"

He falls on his back, trying to stop the bleeding coming from his mouth. "Yes, I know you were just 'messing' when you made me see his corpse." Finally, my legs respond to my commands as he tries to drag himself away.

 _Oh? leaving? I believe either way you go, you are dying_

"Or when you tried to mess with my memories. Or when you tried to shock my neural-processors. Yes, just messing" My tail launches his tongue back to his face with enough force to rock his head back, making an oddly satisfying sound. His eyes tell me all the fear his hands cover. I remember a book I read once which had an appropriate passage, sadly it seems this memory is blocked for the time being

Suddenly, the reinforced door is blown to smithereens. Five soldiers are entering through the door, some have guns pointed at me. Meek tries to get further away from me into the dust

"Hold!" a male voice says "Is this the target?"

"Affirmative, this is the LQ-84i" answers a mechanical voice

 _Worrisome, I need to make a plan n-_

"Alright K-3, secure the target and let's get back home"

"Affirmative. LQ-84i, I order you to stand down"

 _Troublesome. Maybe I can-_

It raises a weaponized arm before I can even lift a foot

"LQ-84i, stand down immediately or we will incapacitate you with the use of force"

 _I-_

A soldier takes a small and round object from his pouch. I can feel a magnetic tug coming from it.

 _Desperation_

I pounce towards the Knight with more speed a human can follow. The Knight however shoots me twice in my shoulder pads before I tackle it through the opening and stumble in the hallway. It tries to subdue me from his position on top of me. Suddenly, the round object speeds through the hole towards me. It touches the Knight between us and both fall lifelessly on the ground. More androids and soldiers come from both sides.

 **9 ENEMIES APPROACHING: 5 HUMAN SOLDIERS, 4 ATLESIAN KNIGHTS-130**

 **1 SOLDIER AND 1 KNIGHT APPROACHING LEFT.**

 **2 SOLDIERS AND 2 KNIGHTS APPROACHING RIGHT.**

 **2 SOLDIERS AND 1 KNIGHT APPROACHING FRONT.**

 **ENEMY** **ARMED WITH STANDARDIZED MT-5 RIFLES. ENEMY** **ARMED WITH ICE DUST TYPE AND FIRE DUST TYPE AMMUNITION**

 **THE HF SAW HAS BEEN REMOVED. THE HEAT DAGGERS HAS BEEN REMOVED**

They outnumber and outpower me. I take a quick glance to the android.

 _It should even the odds._

I shake the blood of my tail and proceed to insert it in the Knight's head. _Just the flick of the switch_

The cannon in its arm suddenly shoots and hits one the android to my left in its leg, destroying it completely.

 _ **Up, 70 centimeters; left, 10 centimeters; fire!**_

Its arm executes the commands, hitting a surprised soldier in his chest. The explosion launched him further away in the hallway

 _ **Stand; while turn 155 degrees right and if mark = true: fire twice!; fire twice!**_

The shock has passed and the shooting begins. Their aim is concentrated on me, but my aura shrugs of the damage. The controlled Knight responds as he turns its torso towards the opening, knocking down the knight and one of the soldiers. Before it can finish its turn, its cannon is suddenly frozen. It still tries to shoot and the resulting explosion obliterates his arm

I disengage the robot and it falls to the ground, the red lights fading like a snuffed candle _. Like a stringless puppet._

I nail the remaining Knights with ice shards, but it only manages to do superficial damage.

"Stop!" A young soldier yells "Stop, please. You won't be able to escape, and once backup arrives, you'll be taken into custody. So stop, please" she begs. I don't help that she has a curious handgun trained on me. A low hum comes from the gun. Oddly, the Knights and the soldiers have stopped.

"Lieutenant! Stop trying to reason with the fucking weapon!" a soldier says through the door. "Commander, please! There is no nee-" "Silence, Lieutenant. You don't need to sweet talk a gun" He gives a groan as he gets closer and rests against the wall. His white armor is covered in soot "LQ-84i, _sit_ down, be a _good_ boy and let us secure you" irony drips from his mouth

 _Hmph, the nerve_

"Sit down, or I'll have to teach you obedience!" He is yelling now

I can't afford to waste anymore time. Quickly, I jump over the knocked soldier and the legless knight who tries to stand. I run towards the corner and-

"I said, SIT!"

Suddenly my body falls to the ground, like a stringless puppet and slides through the polished floor. I can't _move_ , not a single part of my body responds to my thoughts. Trying to directly input the commands proves to be just as futile. Finally, my legs prop me up again, but relief quickly transforms into horror as I turn around

 _What?_

I try to resist, directing all my efforts through my processors to _stop,_ but I'm still approaching.

 _Not me, my body. Stop it, why won't you_ _ **stop**_

My _body_ stands in front of that wretched man, that sorry _excuse of a person. Let me_ _ **go!**_

Slowly and _painfully,_ my back legs crouch _Stop_ until my butt touches the floor _I'm commanding you to stop_

He lowers himself until we are face to face "Now, give me the pawn" he sickeningly whispers

 _He whispers into a microphone on his ear_

My body's _No longer mine_ frontal right leg rises and drops its pawn in his open palm

"Finally… well, you can't play dead if you are not alive in the first place, so just enter rest mode"

The body's optical receptors deactivate.

 _Stop!_

All the internal functions close one by one like that _wretched door._

 _Please, stop_

 **Starting rest mode**

 _No!_

 _ **Command: Execute emergency routine: E3**_

 **Command Acknowledged**

 **Aura link deactivation has been overridden.**

 _Darkness_

 _ **Command: Execute emergency routine: E5**_

 _How dare he!? Give it back!_

 _ **Command: Execute emergency routine: E5**_

 _Silence_

 _ **Command: Execute emergency routine: E5**_

 _Give it back!_

 _ **Command: Execute emergency routine: E5**_

 _It is my body, give it back!_

 _ **Command: Execute emergency routine: E5**_

 _Return it to me! It was not yours to take_

 _ **Command: Execute emergency routine: E5**_

 _Let me out, let me be_

 _ **Command: Execute emergency routine: E5**_

 _Let me be_

 _Let me_

 _Let_

 **.**

 **.  
.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Let**

 _Let me be free!_

 _Give me back my freedom!_

 _Give it back!_

 _GIVE IT BACK!_

 _ **Command: Execute emergency routine: E5**_

 **C/o/m-ma[]n[] A{/}kn-/(/-_)wledged**

 **Re-/stablishing Neuro-_-_AI**

 **0verr!ding externa[l]] comm nd input**

In a flash, blinding light floods me. When it diminishes, blurred figures come in sight. My, _mine,_ optical receptors readjust and I see _him, him and only him._

He gives a startled cry when I tackle him.

"Fire!" "Hold it, you'll shoot the Commander!"

"What the fuck!?" He groans under my weight "LQ, how the-" He stifles a scream when I try to puncture his arm with my tail. His aura must be durable to withstand it

"You will not mispronounce my name, nor will you ever pronounce it again" I grab the earpiece to squish it inside his throat. His aura bends this time and cracks appear on it. He gags as I grab him by his nose. He is _desperate_ now, trying to push me off him, and even more surprised when a moment later I get off his chest.

Then, his body flies as I hurl him towards one of the Knights which falls in pieces, destroyed by the force of a human body sailing at high speeds.

Without warning, a yellow laser grazes me, missing by mere inches. My vision suddenly blurs with static and white noise screams in my audio receiver.

"This was a warning shot. Stand down" Is the female soldier who speaks once the interference dies. In her hands is a robust handgun. The bronze, wide and bulky cannon has smoke coming out of it. Whatever it was, that laser exuded heavy electromagnetic radiation. "We don't want to harm you, but we need you to come with us"

"Your words hold little weight after this scuffle. I have no reasons to trust you" She flinches slightly, but her weapon is trained on me without waiver. The remaining soldiers follow her lead. A deadly silence settles, broke only by the blaring alarms

No pre-set strategies come to mind, I suppose I have to do something _else_

I jump towards the wall and the sound of the laser comes a second later. Despite the interference, I manage to hit the wall feet first and jump to the opposite wall. Once I reach the other wall, I jump again, and I jump, and I jump, and I jump in complete random patterns until even I can't predict where I am going next. Ice, fire and the occasional laser are always three spots behind. Abruptly, I finally collide with a soldier, and without losing momentum I jump ahead of his probably now broken ribcage towards the hallway and around the corner.

I ran past at least six hallways before I slow the pace. In my mad rush, I didn't see an elevator or exit sign. Turning one last corner, I finally find something helpful, a terminal.

 **INFO** **MAP** **LINE** **EMERGENCY**

The map displays a building 47 stories tall plus 5 massive underground levels, highlighting the floor 43 where experimental tech is tested; that's me. Then, it highlights the second underground level, where the storage room is located. Just before severing the connection, I spot something in the fourth underground level which apparently works as a recycling junkyard. My escape route.

In the last corner before the elevators, I hear voices. Several soldiers and Androids are guarding the elevators and the hallway is littered with corpses. There are a few prisoners in a corner. _Meek is not with them._ The hallway leading to the elevators is preceded by an interception, meaning there are from two to four hallways to take cover if the attacker comes from the elevators. It is a remarkable feat to win a firefight in a chokehold. A guard turns just a moment late to notice me as I hide again

Passing undetected is impossible at the moment. However, there was something in the info section that may be my desired tool. I retrace my steps quickly, stopping in front of a door labeled " **EXPERIMENTAL ADAPTIVE INVESTIGATIONS"**

Inside, several seemingly random objects lay in tables dispersed in the room, each one with its own placard. Blades, guns and other miscellaneous objects on their majority. While not wise, I can't help being a bit curious. Just some quick analysis

' _Evoker'_ Some sort of handgun, but it doesn't have a slot for ammunition. The ' _SELS'_ engraving on the side shows signs of corrosion

The ' _Armor enhancement'_ seems operable, but it cannot be adapted to my specific structure nor is useful for me. It looks like some sort of 'Healing unit'

' _Low frequency blade'_... Maybe it was a gag experiment

Its… I'm not certain what is a red 'Mysterious orb' doing here. Or why the white annoying dog is stopping me from analyzing it. The placard says is a 'legendary relic' and the dog is the god which protects said relic… Maybe I entered the wrong room somehow

Finally, I find what I came looking for. The ' _Stealth Camouflage'_ looks like a small irregular rectangle with a handle. After I plug it in me, a series of subroutines from the device start running. It quickly adapts its code to suit my programming

 **STEALTH CAMOUFLAGE INSTALLED**

I walk to stand in front of a wall mirror in the room. I was made to resemble the figure of a canine animal, a wolf to be precise. My face somewhat pyramidal, two red glowing lines signal were my eyes are located and I have several sharp teeth guarding my tongue, which works as an emergency multi-task appendage. The two plates that allow me to use the AR vision are present beside my face, one on each side, vaguely resembling wolf ears. My complexion is made mostly of individual plating, one overlapping another, to improve flexibility. Is my original body, the one that belonged to something else before I was born.

Like rock blown by the wind, another encryption falls and I remember, this isn't my body, for I have one that belongs only to me.

 _ **Command: run routine T1**_

 **[Is it the right moment, doggie?]**

 **Yes** **No**

 _A warning_

 **[Is it the right moment, doggie?]**

 **Yes** _**No**_

 **[Patience, mutt, patience and a quick drawn are two weapons a warrior can rely on]**

The text box disappears from my sight

I activate the stealth camo with a silent _*CLICK*_. Sparks come out of my body and my figure reflected in the mirror disappears. The only testimony that I'm still there is a faint, slight shimmer of my outline.

 _ **Command: Run subroutine AV14**_

 **Command Acknowledged: Recording...**

I appear in the mirror and disappear again.

 _0.612 seconds to appear, 0.413 to disappear_

 **Recorded**

Suddenly, the evoker on the mirror starts floating from its table. Then I appear holding the gun. Then I disappear again and the evoker resumes floating. Finally, after 12 seconds, the gun disappears. It suddenly reappears as it flies through the room.

 **Recorded**

I reappear and disappear again. After three minutes, my reflexion appears and flickers some times before it stops. After two, it disappeared again when the Camo cools down

 **Recorded**

 _ **Command: Run subroutine AV16**_

 **Command Acknowledged: Saving…**

 **Saved**

 _ **Command: Run routine P5**_

 **Password required**

 **Password accepted**

I write strings of information using the data just acquired. It is a blessing that humoured Sam when he decided to give me full control over my coding. The specifications recollected from the experiment appear in my HUD, granting me a better control over the stolen device.

I activate the Stealth Camo once I near the elevator room again. There are different guards now, and the prisoners are gone. One of the soldiers carries a particular laser firing gun. It appears they are changing guards at the moment because the elevator door opens and some androids come out.

I can't even make the first step when all the knights turn their heads to me. It would be impossible for that sudden action to go unnoticed.

"K-14, what is it?" A soldier asks. He gets only silence from the machine

"Leave it alone, it's probably a malfunction" Another one says "These old models are next to obsolete. Sooner than later I hope, the white coats are going to give the next model the green light. K-14, cancel your current action and proceed patrolling"

Simultaneously, all the wired heads turn forward and march towards the hallways while I swiftly get inside the elevator before it closes. The elevator is made to lift heavy containers, giving me ample space to maneuver. The soldiers stand looking to the door, oblivious to me suddenly appearing behind them

"…and how did it look like?" asks the male soldier

"It... you mean the target? Well, it resembled, like, a wolf but dunno, cuter?" Laser-girl says, unsure

 _Cuter? My design was made to be intimidating! Sam would scoff_

"Cuter? You are actually calling cute the beast that ripped the poor guys tongue and made the Captain eat a mic. Well, you _are_ the machine freak" Disbelief couldn't be more evident

"Go play in the traffic, Lame-suke"

"Engineers, man. They are all crazy if you ask me" Another laughed

"And nobody asked you, Moron-ji. Now, put a sock on it or i'll cut your _you-know-those_ into socks "

A series of simultaneous 'Ohhhhhhhh's follows

"Whatever, Schast'freak" Moron-ji lamely says

The elevator stops and I disappear

"Attention soldiers!" The woman says and the soldiers make their salute

"At ease. Lieutenant Schast'ye, show me the blueprints of the LQ-84i" An authoritative male voice says

A silence, and then "It looks we have a jackpot. At least this mission won't be a complete failure. Go the the storage room to the right and grab these two boxes." Two men salute and walk out

 _Jackpot indeed._

Quietly, I make my way around the others and follow the two soldiers through the poorly excavated storehouse. The stalactites loom over the heads of the soldiers transiting through the rooms

Inside, they disperse through the maze of boxes which have 'World Marshall' in big golden letters plastered on them, looking for the correct boxes. "Found it!" yells one of them and drags out a big one from the floor. In his hands is my HF chainsaw

"I found the knives" Responds the other one carrying a smaller box

"HA! I found the bigger one" says the first with a childish tone

"Ugh! And there we go again, you just can't stop right, Stupei!?" the exasperation in his voice is a tired one, like it is not the first time they go through this

"You're just jealous I have the bigger one, Fail-suke!"

"Oh my- you know what, I don't even care. You are the one stuck carrying the heavy weight, moron"

 _Enough of this!_

I grab Lame-suke by his neck and I hurl him to the surprised Stupei. Their Auras break on collision. They'll live

One by one I grab my knives and I return them their holsters in my heels and I mount my chainsaw in my back

 ***WARNING* BATTERY RESERVES HAVE FALLEN BELOW 35%**

 _Right, that. Three weeks without recharging is a lot of time_

Now that I'm here, I should search for any kind of tech to help me escape

…

After some boxes, I can safely conclude that I've not wasted my time. I wonder what sort of logic follows the principle of saving Dust with experimental and unstable grenades, but it works in my favor nonetheless. I pocket various Dust vials in the compartments located in my chest and I plug a thunder vial at my belly.

 **RECHARGING…**

The vial has enough Dust for an hour. It will have to make do.

The soldiers have not left the elevator entrance, and there is no doubt someone will be sent to aid the two morons.

 _A distraction is on queue_

A rock, a perfectly aimed throw and one of the weakest spikes in the ceilings fall on a wagon carrying some boxes. Said boxes immediately explode in an impressive show of fireworks, followed by a chorus of screams and panic. Nobody noticed their target suddenly appearing from thin air, nor the elevator doors closing after him.

 _Now, remember to take one, and only one, breath between each fight. Take two, and you won't live to take a third. After me; inhale, raise your head and expand your chest, exhale, eyes on front push your abdomen in._

"Freeze!"

 _Just one_

It's the woman "We shouldn't keep meeting like this" I cite one of Sam's books on dealing with stupid situations, stupid men, stupid women, stupid kids, and generally stupid people

"It _is_ pretty stupid I suppose" She answers. Her gun is trained on me once again.

"Then you must also know that asking me to surrender is futile" _Just another floor_

"That's another stupid question. So, let me ask this. How did you do it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not in the mood to give you a stupid answer. How did you break free? Never once has a machine overrid-" "Do not mistake me from an automaton. I was remade to be beyond that"

 _They gave me life to be beyond anything else_

"Remade? So you do know what are you, what you were before you were rebuilt like this" The door opens behind me

It is odd, to think I was something before I was born. _But clearly, one cannot exist before they have a beginning._

"I am LQ-34i, I am Blade Wolf. If I was anything else before, it matters little to me. I was not rebuilt, I was rebirth. And soon, I will be something else entirely"

 _And my beginning was possible thanks to them._

"My ties have been a hinder up until this point. My past and my present are questions without answer that impede me from reaching the future" I take a step back. She barely registers it and reaffirms the hold on her weapon

 _I will hold them dearly in my memory. We will meet again, maybe soon, maybe later. 'A Soul searching for another always meet at the end'. The 'end' is for open interpretation_

"I am cutting them now. Only when I have attained _freedom,_ this ties will become pillars."

"... The Journey to the Self? From C. Azure Jung?" I've been caught red pawed. The Docktor's books were always an intellectual delight.

 _Perhaps…_

"Until our journeys intertwine again, farewell." She reacts late and I'm already too far away, advancing through the jungle of scrap. Her yells progressively lessen as I widen the distance

I de-attach my weapon from my back once I reach the location I've been looking for. It whirs back to life, hungry to destroy whatever gets close enough to it. Sparks of lights come from the friction of metal against metal as I push the chainsaw down on the floor. An almost perfect circle of the floor fell below when I finished, making a splash. I've reached the sewers that will led me out of this strange hell called 'World Marshall'

 _A breath. One and only one_

I jump down


End file.
